Thursday, March 16, 2017

The Final Infusion

How many infusions of tea do you brew when you have a tea session?

For me, the average would be about 5-6 for oolongs and 6-8 for pu erh tea. This does not include the initial flash rinse I perform on the tea before I start my session. If the tea still brews strong, I may set the teapot aside and return to brewing more tea later in the day.

Then you have the last or final infusion before you discard the tea leaves. I suppose for many tea drinkers, myself included, the final infusion would be considered the weakest in taste and aroma.

Let me recommend a fun and interesting brew for your final infusion :

- empty the tea leaves in a small metal pot

- add 2-3 teapots of water

- boil the tea for 5-10 minutes

Surprise! Your final infusion will taste and smell slightly different. It will be strong as well. I have tried it on pu erh, oolongs, Liu Bao and white tea and have pleasant results so far. I think you will like the results as well. If you already had too much tea to drink, I suggest you keep that last infusion in a small thermos and drink it when you are ready for tea again.

Time to relook at your final infusion. Have fun and let me know what you think.

Muses of a tea drinker

I enjoy my cup of tea. Have a chuckle with me when you read my thoughts on tea, whether its silly or politically incorrect.
I have an online store (opened in July 2016) that has some of my favorite teas I had found during my tea travels - www.adventureineverycup.com